• Home
• The Show
• The Crew
• Bench Racing
• Fast Lap
• Fantasy Racing
• Contact Us

Subscribe

• NASCAR
• Sprint Cup
• Drivers
• Nationwide Series
• ARCA Remax Series
• NASCAR Headlines

2009 OPer Awards: Worst NASCAR Crew Chief

Let me lodge my official protest of the name for this OPeR. I want it on record that I lobbied for “Most Disappointing Performance by a NASCAR Crew Chief”.

Worst NASCAR crew chief doesn’t fit the purpose here.

That said, my pick of Steve Addington edged Steve’s choice of Tony Eury Jr, for whatever this award. Award?

I’m not sure who to blame. But in football, it’s usually the quarterback. And in racing, the crew chief.

Kyle Busch dominated the NASCAR statistics everywhere in NASCAR except in Cup. Kyle got a pass and Addington got the boot.

2009 OPer Awards: Best Post Race Celebration

Carl Edwards pulled an upset of sorts by winning the OPeR for best post-race celebration, even though he the NASCAR stats show that he failed to win a Sprint Cup race in 2009.

Steve convinced me that Carl’s Talladega post-crash dash across the finish line on foot - ala Ricky Bobby - was the best of the year.

My first choice was Kurt Busch’s backwards victory laps. I know they’re a bit hokey, but Kurt stuck with them and at least he got to do a couple by winning some races.

2009 OPer Awards: Worst NASCAR Team

I’m sorry Junior Nation. Your boy’s team sucked in 2009.

The Hendrick Motorsports team was the exception that made the rest of that organization’s dominance of Sprint Cup 2009 season seem sort of mortal.

But the combination that was the no. 88 Amp Energy-National Guard team was like the old “Gang that couldn’t shoot straight”.

Who knows where the blame should go. Dale Earnhardt Jr gets way more than his share. But it didn’t cost him his job. Tony Eury Jr got a bunch of the flack too. And a pink slip.

2009 OPer Awards: Best NASCAR Crew Chief

OK NASCAR fans - go ahead and argue against this one.

I think the consistency of the NASCAR racing statistics are so overwhelmingly in favor of the Lowes 48 team, that choosing anyone but Chad Knaus is…is…just wrong.

I suppose the argument could be made that this is the 2009 OPeR award for best crew chief - not the award for best 5 or six year run. But I think Knaus has been the best this year anyway.

Steve said during the On Pit Row OPeR Awards Show, that watching the 48 team at Texas, while under extreme duress, clinched it for him. I didn’t need that, but it didn’t hurt.

2009 OPer Awards: Worst Start and Parker

The Yin and Yang of the 2009 OPer Awards forced us to name a worst counterpart to TRG Motorsports.

Phil Parson’s Prism Motorsports used the NASCAR rules to be a Sprint Cup team.

Bareley.

The NASCAR race statistics would probably show TRG’s entrees with the lowest number of completed laps per start than any other team.

But they got paid.

2009 OPer Awards: Best Media Personality

This was a split decision. Old school vs new.

I wanted the old school dude. That, is a bit of an upset, as Steve is usually the traditional one.

But I voted for old Boogity Boogity hisownself, Darrell Waltrip. I just thin DW is kind of the signature personality of NASCAR on TV. I don’t necessarily care for his act. But I think more people connect to NASCAR through Jaws than anyone else.

Steve went with Dillner. I didn’t feel like arguing about it.

2009 OPer Awards: Worst NASCAR Driver

Let me state first, that I don’t like the title “Worst” when it refers to individuals. “Most disappointing” or “Biggest under-achiever” would be a better description than “Worst”.

But, that said, Red Bull Racing’s Scott Speed had the worst year of any of the full-timers in Sprint Cup 2009.

Big things were either expected or hoped for Speed. But the ultimate in poor showings was the road course race at Sonoma, where Scott failed to qualify his red Bull Toyota and had to buy a ride to get in. The NASCAR race statistics show that wasn’t the only time that happened.

But for an ex-Formula 1 pilot, it was mui disappointing.

2009 OPer Awards: Best NASCAR Team

This really could have been the “No Brainer” Award.

The team that fields the driver - Jimmie Johnson - who has won the last four Sprint Cup championships. The crew chief - Chad Knaus - who has guided that driver to all four. The team - the Hendrick Motorsports Lowes no. 48 -  that has remained basically intact for six straight seasons.

Seven 2009 Sprint Cup Series wins and a fourth straight Cup championship.

There were several good teams. A couple of other great ones too. But just one Hall of Fame team.

2009 OPer Awards: Worst NASCAR Media Personality

My vote for this OPeR award was for Fox’s Digger.

I lost on a technicality. Digger isn’t a real personality. He (it?) is a cartoon character. There will be a new award category for the 2010 OPeRs, because I can’t see Fox dumping the Race Rat.

And I doubt that Speed will can Rutledge Wood either. Wood is harmless, I guess and he has a big Twitter following. That, alone probably will keep him around.

We just don’t see what he adds to the broadcasts. And someone had to take the Bill Weber award.

2009 OPer Awards: Best Start and Parker

The start and park business model may not be real popular with NASCAR fans, but it is a fact of life in many forms of auto racing.

Depending on the economy, even NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races feature a fair number of start and park operations.

TRG Motorsports turned their 2009 , mostly start and park season into a full on, major sponsorship run for the 2010 season with ex-champ Bobby Labonte and Taxslayer.com.

Nice job by team principle Kevin Buckler and the rest of The Racers Group.

Next Page »

Copyright © 2012 Bench Racing Productions, LLC. · All rights reserved.
Content may not be duplicated, or redistributed without express written permission.

OnPitRow.com | Bench Racing | Fast Lap | About Us | Contact Us
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Advertise with us!